In the World of Google

I picked up the phone and made a local call. I made it quick. In Haiti every second on the cell phone counts. Then, I noticed the app, a map on the screen with the logo of a highway. I tapped on it. A fuzzy satellite image appeared. At first, I could not clearly make out what location it could be. I tapped again, to make it wider and clearer. Then, I realized it was old Port-au-prince, as I had first guessed. I searched ‘my location.’ A dot came up at the supposed area that I was. Although things were still not so clear, I was elated simply to realize that I was using such technology in Haiti. I looked for the one place that concerned me the most and that would be the most obvious, the Toussaint Louverture International Airport. A huge purple line traced the way from my location to the airport. Then, I gasped, “Google!” Nothing is too far; nothing too isolated.

I sat there transfixed to the cell phone, moving it to various directions and trying to identify certain locations in the labyrinthine city. I was amazed just like a child discovering a new toy. I kept on navigating the system until my friend whose phone I was using stated, “This thing might eat all the card.” I jumped back to the reality of cellular phone in Haiti. I had already ignored the fact that making a call, sending a text, or using the Net is charged by the minute there. Nevertheless, the experience was great and the feeling sensational. I had been aware that Google had been out there tracing every inch of the planet. Yet, it never occurred to me that I would be in Haiti at this moment and circulating at GPX precision.

Previously I had always considered myself lost in Port-au-prince, a big slum with a system of transportation worse than anything anybody should wish to imagine. This was the first time I felt that I could get up and go somewhere and find my way around there. I never attempted to find out how much it cost to navigate the map. However, when I was returning to the airport, I followed the trace just like I saw it on the big purple line of the Google map.

By E.C. GRANMOUN

E.C. Granmoun is the author of "Bully: A Novel" ebook on amazon.com
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Just When We Thought Uncle Sam Had Our Backs

Moving about these days you always feel as if some giant eyes are on you, and you have nowhere to hide. Cameras are rolling everywhere, on our streets, in public places, and even in our own homes. Up in the heavens, there are satellites; and, there are the drones. When an insect flies over you in your living room, you can never be sure that it is a real one – at least you should not. We are being watch! This manifested clearly through the voice of former President Jimmy Carter recently when he complained that he believed the government had been monitoring his conversations, and to communicate with other leaders he has had to use the traditional mailing system.

That was the general perception before the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 on March 8, 2014. However, many people have since reconsidered their positions. They are telling themselves that they probably were fooled by all the propaganda of electronic surveillance. If a giant machine such as that Boeing 777 with 239 individuals on board could vanish up in thin air like that, and no country, no government, and nobody could discover what happened; the godly eye of Uncle Sam appears to really have existed solely in our minds.

They are scouring the oceans over there in the Far East; they are searching all isolated land terrains; nothing, no clue has been revealed as to what has become of the airliner. We have heard of airplanes flying “under the radar.” This was one particular perception advanced in this case. Yet, we should think that it would sound reasonable for the past, but in this age of electronic surveillance we should place a question mark on it. We would think if some cameras did not catch it, some satellites would have done the job. There is a space station up the heaven for Christ sake monitoring everything!

The search must have covered millions of square miles from the China Seas to the South Indian Ocean. Every now and then some search groups have spotted something only to lament later that it does not belong to the ill-fated airliner. Now, since Uncle has failed us, we are going to concoct our own answer. The Boeing was hijacked. With that, we could add two possibly reasonable scenarios. (1) Aliens came down from the heavens; they closed off all the human surveillance capacity, including “The International Space Station;” they took the plane up to the “black hole.” Then again, many of us do not believe in Santa Clause. We thus have another explanation. (2) The Big Uncles did it.

In the past, we were mostly worried about our Uncle Sam here in the United States. Today, we must watch for many Uncles – Russia, China, the European Union, and even Brazil and India. There was a story in the past about some country building some type of underwater facility that we could simply term “underwater caves.” Now, with our great human advancement in electronic, we have no idea with what those big “Uncles” are experimenting. Could they have hijacked the airliner and taken it to some hidden location? Could it have been them doing what we thought the aliens did? So far, we don’t know anything other than to presume that Uncle Sam is not as watchful as we had previously believed.    

By E.C. GRANMOUN

E.C. Granmoun is the author of "Bully: A Novel" ebook on amazon.com
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Ignoramus

I laugh for using such a word. But, I was already laughing anyway. And, I want to use this word because it is as, as stupid as the subjects in the title of the article I am about to address. The article reads, “Global leaders call on Haitian feuding factions to salvage talks, elections.” I should have cried. But, I laugh. I laugh because, why not? When you are watching a comedy, even a tragic comedy, you are bound to laugh. Haiti is a tragic comedy film on the world stage. The “global leaders” know that. They are laughing just like me. Whatever they are saying is a ‘burst’ of laughter, as participants in the audience. They are encouraging the drama.

For over two hundred years Haitians have been performing; our leaders have been the ‘ignoramuses’ on the stage. No one in his real mind would expect any better from them. But, what would you do if you were to be the global leaders? You would very likely do the same -fuming. You are only a participant in the audience, watching the ‘ignoramuses’ performing. You cannot do much more.

The French killed us during slavery. After slavery, we keep fighting among ourselves and kill each other. We cannot forgive ourselves for being so ignorant. Marian Webster’s dictionary defines ignoramus as “A person who does not know much.” Is this the reason why Haitians leaders can never arrive to do the right thing and lead Haiti to the right direction? I usually use the word ‘dumb’ when I refer to Haitian leaders. Some people think that I should utilize a softer word, maybe classical. Ignoramus should fit well with these types. They prefer big words, French words. Ignoramus is probably Latin – better again.

I was laughing. Now I am crying. The ignorance is too much for me to bear. You have a country with a bunch of nincompoops fighting among themselves. They never see a future for their home nation. They fight; they take whatever they can; and they leave for foreign places when matters turn against them. And, if they should have a chance, they would return again, and fight, and take everything again.

I am crying because I think Haitians remain in a highly savage nature. While most people are trying to live collaboratively to ameliorate their national environment, Haitians are fighting. Right now the only reason a minor stability exists in the country is because of the presence of the United Nations. Worse, Haitians are now contented to elect less learned individuals to office. This means that our nation must be moving backward. We would have become extinct already by epidemics and other natural catastrophes; but, the white man has always popped up to keep us in our misery.

I am crying, but the global leaders are laughing. It is a play on their stage.

By E.C. GRANMOUN

E.C. Granmoun is the author of "Bully: A Novel" ebook on amazon.com
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